Through Oct. 27: It's easy to get lost in this corn field. Sever's opened its 17th annual giant corn maze last weekend. Over the years, the attraction has grown to include live music, magic shows, a giant slide ($2), a straw bale maze, pig races, a petting zoo and food for sale. New this year is a spider web playground and an even bigger pit to play in filled with bushels of corn kernels. 1-8 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.; 1100 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee; $13 (age three and under free); 952-974-5000 or severscornmaze.com. -- Maja Beckstrom

Friday, Sept. 20

Advertisement

Theater: Uncle Vanya

Opens Friday: It has been nearly a quarter-century since the Guthrie Theater staged Anton Chekhov's 1899 masterwork. This version, directed by Joe Dowling, is an adaptation by fellow Irishman Brian Friel. Tea, wine and vodka fuel the tensions in the tragicomic story of unrequited love, thwarted ambition and enduring hope. Andrew Weems makes his Guthrie debut in the title role. The cast also includes homegrown talent Emily Gunyou Halaas, Valeri Mudek and Jim Lichtscheidl. Through Oct. 27; Wurtele Thrust Stage, Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Mpls.; $71-$24;612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.-- Dominic P. Papatola

Country: Darius Rucker

Friday: Nashville usually doesn't have much time for crossover carpetbaggers, just ask Jessica Simpson or Jewel. Hootie and the Blowfish's Darius Rucker, however, has not only survived on the country charts, he's thrived. Six of his singles have topped the charts, from "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" to "Wagon Wheel." Also, all three of his country albums, including this year's "True Believers," have hit No. 1. Given that this casino gig is sold out, it's only a matter of time before Rucker starts hitting some of the larger stages in the Twin Cities. 8 p.m.; Mystic Lake Casino, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd., Prior Lake; sold out; 952-496-6563. -- Ross Raihala

Dance: Ananya Dance Theatre

Friday-Saturday: Water, water everywhere, but, around the world, women are often the ones entrusted with finding a drop to drink. In "Mohona: Estuaries of Desire," the human relationship with water gets an imaginative examination from this local all-woman troupe, which bases its style in a combination of East and West, with classical Indian movement interweaving with American modern dance. Under the guidance of University of Minnesota dance department head Ananya Chatterjea, the company always presents something thought-provoking. 8 p.m.; the O'Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul; $27-$10; 651-690-6700 or oshaughnessy.stkate.edu.-- Rob Hubbard

Jazz: Diane Witherspoon

Friday-Saturday: Although vocalist/composer Diane Witherspoon is based in Los Angeles, she has strong ties to the Twin Cities. She grew up in Minneapolis as the sister of the late Duke Ellington vocalist Shirley Witherspoon and cousin to the late blues great Jimmy Witherspoon. She also attended St. Olaf College in Northfield. Witherspoon has toured Asia (Bangkok, Tokyo and Guam) along with performing at major U.S. clubs such as Yoshi's in Oakland, Calif. She's also performed with Bobby McFerrin, Cedar Walton, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Pharaoh Sanders. 9 p.m.; Artists' Quarter, 408 St. Peter St., St. Paul; $15; 651-292-1359 or artistsquarter.com. -- Dan Emerson

Family: Lily's Purple Plastic Purse

Opens Friday: Stages Theatre launches its 30th season with adaptation of Kevin Henkes' book "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse" by local playwright and performer Kevin Kling. The exuberant and impulsive mouse Lily adores her teacher Mr. Slinger until she disrupts class with her musical purple purse and he confiscates it until the end of school day. Fury leads to revenge leads to remorse leads to reconciliation and enough drama to fill the stage of this west metro theater. Through Oct. 20; Stages Theatre, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $15-$12; 952-979-1111 or stagestheatre.org. -- Maja Beckstrom

Opens Friday: The Children's Theatre Company opens its season with an adaptation of "Charlotte's Web" based on E.B. White's classic children's story. After a farm girl named Fern saves the runt of a pig litter from her father's ax, the pig Wilbur thinks he's free from danger. But he needs saving again from a wise spider named Charlotte who along the way teaches him about friendship and loyalty. A barnyard of slapstick geese and lambs provide the comic relief amid a gentle story that explores loss and sacrifice. The director is Greg Banks, the British CTC collaborator who delivered last year's playfully inventive "Pinocchio." Through Oct. 27; Children's Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.; $42-$22; 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org. -- Maja Beckstrom

Saturday, Sept. 21

Folk music: Leo and Kathy Lara

Saturday: An interactive concert of Latin American folk music comes to Inver Grove Heights library as part of a monthlong series devoted to Hispanic culture. Kathy Lara is a music, Spanish and elementary school teacher. Leo Lara is a native of Ecuador. For the last 30 years, the husband-and-wife team have introduced the songs and instruments of various Latin American countries to school and library audiences in the Twin Cities. 11 a.m.--noon; Inver Glen Library, 8098 Blaine Ave., Inver Grove Heights; free; 651-450-2900 or dakotacounty.us/library.-- Maja Beckstrom

Dance: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Saturday: Now in its 36th year, this Chicago modern dance company seldom rests on its laurels, regularly premiering new works by cutting-edge choreographers. It opens the Northrop Dance Season with a wild romp into surrealism by Sweden's Mats Ek ("Casi-Casa"); a pair by the company's resident choreographer, Alejandro Cerrudo, that showcase the company as a whole ("Little Mortal Jump") and as a sum of some impressive soloists ("PacoPepePluto"); and the world premiere of a piece by Robyn Mineko Williams in which the dancers seem to be fighting faulty internal connections ("Fluence"). 8 p.m.; State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.; $59-$37; 800-745-3000 or hennepintheatretrust.org.-- Rob Hubbard

Exhibit: Blue Man Group -- Making Waves

Saturday-Jan. 12: Three guys painted blue, pounding on things and catching marshmallows hurled across stage in their mouths. It's not hard to see why Blue Man Group appeals to kids. The Boston Children's Museum saw the potential and created the touring exhibit Blue Man Group -- Making Waves, a multi-sensory exhibit about sound. When it opens in St. Paul, kids can rock out on a Theramin organ, experiment with patterns on a sand drum, crawl through a sound and LED light tunnel and bang on PVC tubes and notice how length affects pitch. Grownups will appreciate the Blue Man videos. Children's Museum of Minnesota, 10 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; $9.50; 651-225-6000 or mcm.org.-- Maja Beckstrom

Opera: Manon Lescaut

Saturday-Sept. 29: Several thousand people came out to catch some passionate Puccini when Minnesota Opera celebrated its 50th anniversary with an outdoor concert presentation of "La Boheme" in June. Now the company opens its season with the opera that provided composer Giacomo Puccini's career breakthrough in 1893. The tale of a woman whose love of riches might cost her a chance at real love features soprano Kelly Kaduce (a product of Winnebago, Minn.) singing the title role, while tenor Dinyar Vania and baritone Andrew Wilkowske vie for her affections. Michael Christie conducts, Michael Cavanaugh directs. 8 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sept. 28, 2 p.m. Sept. 29; Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; $200-$20; 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org. -- Rob Hubbard

Movies: Childish Films

Saturday: Childish Films kicks off its monthly series with a selection of shorts from the New York International Children's Film Festival, including an animated Italian car race with folded paper cars, and a stop-action music video of tiny knit animals singing "Twist and Shout" in Japanese-inflected English. Every third Saturday of the month the downtown Minneapolis library screens a lineup of quirky films suitable for preschoolers and elementary-age kids picked by moms Deb Girdwood and Isabelle Harder, who also choose kid flicks for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival. Free snacks will be served a half hour before the show and kids can play with ukuleles, guitars and shakers and sing with musician Buddy Goodfellow. 10:30 a.m.; Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall; free; 952-847-8100, supporthclib.org. -- Maja Beckstrom

Rock: Bret Michaels

Saturday: Now 50, Poison's lead singer Bret Michaels seems unstoppable. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 6, Michaels suffered a series of health scares more recently, including an emergency appendectomy, a brain hemorrhage and the discovery of a hole in his heart. Not only did he make it through all of that, Michaels has maintained a busy career, touring with Poison, appearing on reality TV ("The Celebrity Apprentice," "Rock My RV") and playing solo gigs on the side. He's back in town in support of his latest album, "Jammin' with Friends," which includes a few new songs and remakes of old Poison hits with the help of folks like Ace Frehley, Jimmy Buffett and Miley Cyrus. 6:30 p.m.; Myth, 3090 Southlawn Dr., Maplewood; $25 (all ages); 651-779-6984. -- Ross Raihala

Rock: Citizen Cope

Saturday: If nothing else, the man born Clarence Greenwood has perseverance. He signed the first of three major label deals in 1997 and spent the next decade battling with those labels over everything from his image to his songwriting. Despite selling hundreds of thousands of records as Citizen Cope, Greenwood left his final label, RCA, and decided to try doing things on his own. It seems to be working, as he self-released 2010's "The Rainwater LP" and followed it up last year with "One Lovely Day," which gave him his biggest chart debut to date at No. 39. He will be performing alone, backed only by his acoustic guitar, after an opening set from Alice Smith. 8 p.m.; Mill City Nights, 111 Fifth St. N., Mpls.; $32-$29.50; 888-929-7849. -- Ross Raihala

World music: Playing for Change

Saturday: Playing for Change isn't so much a band as it is a concept, specifically one hatched by producer Mark Johnson. He spent four years traveling the globe and recording musicians performing familiar hits like "Stand By Me" and "One Love." The video for "Stand By Me" quickly became an Internet sensation and a CD/DVD package documenting the project found a receptive audience, leading to tours and further albums. This show, held in conjunction with the worldwide Playing for Change Day, includes performances from Sowah Mensah and the Macalester College African Musical Ensemble, Shoreview's Turtle Lake Elementary School Ensemble, St. Paul's Walker West Music Academy Jazz Ensemble, St. Paul's Center for Irish Music Advanced Youth Ensemble and the local Brazilian percussion band Batucada do Norte. 6 p.m.; Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; $25; 612-338-2674. -- Ross Raihala

Art: 13th Annual Rustic Road 13 Pottery Event and Sale

Saturday-Sunday: A picturesque setting in St. Croix County, 13 talented potters, an art-filled barn, art demonstrations, beautiful gardens to stroll through and live music. You will get all of that at the Rustic Road 13 Pottery event and sale. Featured area potters include Leila Denecke, Nick DeVries, Kirk Freeman, Derek Gladen, Steve Hemingway, Michael Howland, Ernest Miller, Beth Ryan, Lynnea Schwieters, Zac Spates, Amy Von Bargen, Marjorie Wade and Scott Zeinert. Rustic Road is an anchor event of Take Me to the River, a nine-day festival featuring art events throughout the St. Croix Valley. Go to artreachstcroix.org for a full list of related events. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday; 1148 Troutbrook Road, Hudson, WI.; free; directions at rusticroad13pottery.com-- Amy Carlson Gustafson

Sunday, Sept. 22

Classical: Zola Jesus, Stephen Prutsman, Ian Ding and Ashley Bathgate

Sunday: The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's "Liquid Music" season of new music concerts opens with singer/songwriter Zola Jesus performing Stephen Prutsman's arrangements of her intensely stirring percussive synth pop with pianist Prutsman and four SPCO musicians. Starting things off is the duo of percussionist Ding (the founder of New Music Detroit) and cellist Bathgate of New York's Bang on a Can All-Stars. They will perform music by Ted Hearne, Osvaldo Golijov and others. The concert is sold out, but you're welcome to check on turnbacks. 7 p.m.; Amsterdam Bar, 6 W. Sixth St., St. Paul; $10; 651-291-1144 or thespco.org.-- Rob Hubbard

Contemporary: Christian Switchfoot

Sunday: The members of San Diego's Switchfoot love surfing almost as much as they love making music. The band's name is a surfing term that means taking a new stance facing the opposite direction. So it makes perfect sense the guys have produced a documentary, "Fading West," about their lives as musicians and surfers. At this special concert, they will screen the film in its entirety and follow it up with a stripped-down performance that will include some new songs from the band's next album (due in 2014) and a Q&A with the crowd. 7 p.m.; Maranatha Hall, Northwestern College, 3003 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul; $35-$22.50; 651-631-5151. -- Ross Raihala

Hip-hop: Action Bronson and Danny Brown

Sunday: Dubbed the 2 High 2 Die Tour, this joint outing pairs buzzy rappers Action Bronson and Danny Brown. Born Arian Asllani, Action Bronson, pictured, turned heads from the moment he emerged in 2011, thanks in part to his large frame. His major-label debut is due out next year. As for Danny Brown, he earned instant local infamy back in April when a female in the front row allegedly performed oral sex on him in the middle of his show at the Triple Rock Social Club. Openers Trash Talk are a hardcore punk band from California with an entirely different base of fans than either headliner. 8 p.m.; First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Mpls.; $25-$22; 612-332-1775. -- Ross Raihala

Monday, Sept. 23

Rock: Herbert Gronemeyer

Monday: Largely unknown on these shores, 57-year-old Herbert Gronemeyer stands as one of Germany's most successful musicians, with 13 million albums sold and the bragging rights for the country's best- and third-best selling records ever. (ABBA's "Gold" compilation lands at No. 4.) He's on his first North American tour on the back of his new English-language album "I Walk," which includes guest appearances from U2's Bono and Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. A PBS concert special, "I Walk: Live," aired this summer, further helping introduce Gronemeyer to domestic audiences. Local singer/songwriter Brianna Lane opens. 7:30 p.m.; Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; $45-$35; 612-338-2674.-- Ross Raihala

Tuesday, Sept. 24

Movies: Midwife: The Documentary

Tuesday: This locally produced documentary follows West St. Paul midwife Sarah Biermeier during her first year of delivering babies in the home, beginning with prenatal visits and continuing through delivery and post-partum. Director Allison Kuznias makes a case for the safety and comfort of home delivery and looks at how different states regulate birth outside a hospital or clinic setting. Discussion to follow the local premiere. 7 p.m.; Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. N.E., Columbia Heights; online reservations recommended $10/$15 at door (cash); 763-788-9079 or heightstheater.com or midwifethedocumentary.com.-- Maja Beckstrom

World music: Global Roots Festival

Tuesday-Wednesday: For the fifth year in a row, the Cedar Cultural Center presents the Global Roots Festival, which features two nights of free concerts that celebrate the venue's commitment to global programming. Opening night will include the all-female Finnish folk group Kardemimmit and Ukranian "ethnic chaos" band DakhaBrakha, a quartet that uses Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian instrumentation. Christine Salem, a deep-voiced singer from an island east of Madagascar, wraps things up the second night alongside the Debo Band, pictured, a Boston-based group that specializes in Ethiopian jazz. 7:30 p.m.; Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; free; 612-338-2674.-- Ross Raihala

Wednesday, Sept. 25

World music: Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club

A relatively obscure -- albeit talented -- collective of veteran, Cuban musicians, the Buena Vista Social Club was made world-famous by filmmaker Wim Wenders' Oscar-nominated 1998 documentary and subsequent international tours. They also won a Grammy for their self-titled, 1997 album of folk songs, Latin jazz and ballads. Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club includes four original Buena Vista Social Club members: Latin Grammy Award winners Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa, trumpeter Guajiro Mirabal, and laud (stringed instrument) virtuoso Barbarito Torres. 8 p.m., Burnsville performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville; $50.50-$39.50; 952-895-4685 or burnsvillepac.com.-- Dan Emerson

Thursday, Sept. 26

Classical: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

Thursday through Sept. 29: The SPCO's September focus on Beethoven's works from the first decade of the 19th century concludes with a collection of Neighborhood Series concerts that feature his "Emperor" Piano Concerto. The soloist and conductor is Christian Zacharias, who also will lead the orchestra in a late Joseph Haydn symphony (No. 91) and Arnold Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 2. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley; 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sept. 27, Wooddale Church, 6630 Shady Oak Road, Eden Prairie; 3 p.m. Sept. 29, St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi; $42-$5; 651-291-1144 or thespco.org.-- Rob Hubbard

Blues: Johnny Winter

Thursday: Guitar wizard and vocalist Johnny Winter was a howling blues-rock dynamo from Texas when he broke onto the national scene, back in the late '60s. Although he's not quite as energetic as in his rip-roaring, younger days, the 69-year-old Winter has achieved the same level of blues credibility and stage presence as the first- and second-generation blues icons he once idolized. His most recent album, "Roots," was released by Sonobeat Records in 2011. The Ken Valdez Band will open. 8 p.m.; Famous Dave's BBQ and Blues, Calhoun Square, 3001 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; $40-$25; 612-822-9900 or famousdaves.com. -- Dan Emerson

Rock: Cold War Kids

Thursday: When they emerged in the mid-'00s, Cold War Kids played a more polished version of the White Stripes' bluesy garage rock and scored a few minor hits along the way, including "Hang Me Up to Dry" and "Something Is Not Right with Me." But with 2011's "Mine Is Yours," the guys made a brazen attempt to become the next Kings of Leon with a collection of hyper-commercial songs custom-made for movie trailers and light-rock radio afternoon airplay. Earlier this year, they returned to action with their fourth album, "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts," which settles into a midway point between the two sounds. Last seen in town opening for the Lumineers at the Target Center in May, they're back as headliners to promote a new EP, "Tuxedos." 7:30 p.m.; First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Mpls.; $24-$22; 612-332-1775.-- Ross Raihala

Folk: Billy Bragg

Thursday: Thirty years on from his debut album, "Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy," politically charged British singer/songwriter Billy Bragg has returned to record racks with "Tooth and Nail." He made it in just five days with the help of Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry, who also co-wrote two songs. Sonically, it continues Bragg's explorations of American folk in the vein of the much-lauded "Mermaid Avenue" sessions he recorded with Wilco. Next month, Bragg will reissue "Life's a Riot" with newly remastered sound and bonus live tracks. Arkansas singer/songwriter Joe Purdy opens. 7:30 p.m.; Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; $30-$28; 612-338-2674.-- Ross Raihala